


Ethan

by madafred



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: F/M, M/M, Soulmates, but like, just a tiny bit of soulmate ' like one sentence states it, kind of canon but also not canon at all, my attempt at making Boruto bearable, there will most likely be some future character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2019-11-26 01:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18174167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madafred/pseuds/madafred
Summary: Naruto is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. His marriage is in shambles and he can't seem to figure out why?or perhaps he knows and he's just avoiding the subject entirely. Pushing off his happiness has worked up until now, but at the crisp age of 30, Naruto realizes he can not continue to do things the half-assed way he has been. Maybe there's still time to fix things?





	1. An introduction to the white walls

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm sorry, English is my first language, I'm just illiterate and can't spell!  
> also, the title is an allusion to a book I recently read in my ap literature class, titled Ethan Frome. Maybe go read a quick synopsis of the book and you will understand the summary better. I got a lot of inspiration for this fic from that book. (loosely) Just like Ethan Frome, the story is going to be predominantly told through flashbacks, so just keep that in mind. The actual 'fixing Boruto' part will come when I reach that part of their lives.....so give it a couple of chapters.  
> But don't worry! despite the bleak ending for Ethan Frome, Naruto and Sasuke will find happiness..... at some point.
> 
>  
> 
> ..also I'm not an experienced writer in the slightest, I study literature, not write it, sooooo please let me know what I can fix, enjoy!  
> comment if you want more I guess?

__edited**

The Uchiha Family stood in what seemed to be a white room. Mikoto remembered being here twice before; and there was only ever one reason.  
The first was at her own death. Her mother and father behind her. She remained oblivious to their presence while she focused on the memories flashing in front of her: Childhood birthday party's, her first day at the academy, meeting her future husband for the first time.  
All of her favorite-and all of her worst memories were displayed on a large white screen. Ending with a quick trust of a sword, Mikoto saw her own eyes flash brightly , then dim.

The second time was after the death of her first son, Itachi. He stood before her, his memories flashing like a movie in front of her and her husband's eyes. She remembered standing there, watching his earliest memories-from the day of Sasuke's birth to the days of the Uchiha massacre and onward. The Akatski. The illness. The blare of a blood red sharingan, then death.

This was how the diseased would learn to know and judge the newly dead.  
It was their job to decide what happens next.

Judgment must be passed, and the viewing of one's memories was their families only way of doing so accurately.

Because it was their job to decide the afterlife of their loved ones, not some God.

There was no heaven or hell, only the vast white unknown.

ones' family would be the judge of one's deeds, making their eternal existence after, either a safe heaven with them, or a hell of eternal alienation.  
The mistakes made in life do affect where one ends up in death. However, it is not a weighing scale of right actions and wrong outcomes.  
It's about forgiveness , and about facing the reality of your actions through the eyes of those you loved the most.

Are they proud? Will they forgive you? Was it worth it?

Heaven and hell are not two places , they are one vast white, shared by all.

Will they except you when they know the nitty gritty things? The dispicable lies?  
Will you be able to surround yourself with the flowing grace of their presence once again, after such a long miserable time apart? Or will you be shunned, and forced to live in despair? Surrounded by what could have been; if only you had made the right choices, done just one little thing differently.

 

The Uchiha bloodline tends to refrain from abandoning those in the clan that have died. It is very seldom that an Uchiha roamed the emptiness alone.

Itachi was no exception.

The family welcomed him with arms wide open. When all the chips were in, both parents decided to forgive him.

Besides, he did try to take care of Mikoto's youngest. Life just ..... had a funny way of nudging in where it didn't belong.

The third time it happened, Mikoto was used to the feeling of suddenly waking up in the white room. The blinding light not as sever- the ringing noise not as deafening.  
In front of her, her husband, and her son Itachi, was an older man, one in his late fifties or sixties. His strong back and hair were all they could see. A proud red and white fan placed in the center of his soft shirt.

The man was sitting in a weathered old chair made of Birch, Palm, and Cedar;directly in front of the white screen.

Unlike most uchiha , the seat the man manifested was humble.

Mikoto herself had a flashy gilded chair and Itachi's was a blood red mahogany. She never saw her husband's.

The man's sturdy back was only slightly hunched and his hair was of the Uchiha kind, burly and fighting against the hair tie holding it in place.

It seemed as if it was finally time for heryoungest son to have his judgment day.

 

Mikoto couldn't feel time pass .

It must have been nearly fifty years since her death and she felt as if it was just yesterday that she saw her youngest son smile brightly against strong orange festival lights or pout at his father's negligence.

He, like everyone else on this day, had his eyes glued to the projector screen in front of him.  
He was not aware of the people behind him or the person in front of him on the other side of the plain white screen.  
He would not be until the show was over.

Opposite to the Uchiha family stood the Uzumaki family. A unit of three: Minato, Kushina, and Naruto, with the addition of Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya. Kushina found herself in this familiar white-walled place, however, this was only the second time she had been here.

When Kushina and her husband passed, they stood opposite one another with the memory projector between them. The memories that showed on the shining white projector explained the lives they led in relation to each other. Their memories were shows together.

Kushina and Minato were childhood friends and lovers, it only made sense to see them united in death.

Kushima found herself wondering briefly if her son had ever found someone to share his memories with, the way she and Minato had.  
It would be impossible to tell until the show started.

Because this is what this was , a show. Not for the first time, the pain of missing her son dearly shocks her.

She would finally be allowed to see the life her son had. To Kushima , it felt like a second death- being reminded once again that she was not there to be apart of any of the memories she would watch on screen .

Like Mikoto, time passed quickly for Kushina. However, the time, while flowing freely, stabbed like thousands of knives on her conscience. Kushina could hardly forgive herself for leaving her son so soon.

she let out a small gasp when she appeared in the room.

It was unmistakable, what was happening.

She had less insight than Mikoto and ran towards her son, gripping him at the shoulders, but he could not see her, his eyes were focused on the blank screen in front of him.

He sat on a pedestal.  
It was Elm and bleached white to look like the white walls around them.

There was nothing left to do but wait

 

With a sudden flash, the screen displayed a cliche time ticker, falling slowly from five, to four, three, two, then one.  
Then the screen went black.

 

Mikoto was worried, the screen had never been black for so long after the countdown. What was wrong with her son's memories.

Unlike Kushina, she did not have a soulmate to share her memories with, so the lag was frightening. None of the Uchiha in her family knew what was happening.

 

the screen lit brightly and a lone swing popped onto the screen.

Unremarkable to both families , but Naruto and Sasuke knew it immediately.

 

A small boy walked onto screen, blond hair dirty and face red, knees scratched, while dried tears were still caught on both cheeks.

Kushina's heart filled with angish and recognition, it was her son after all.

The Uchiha family all released a similar sound of confusion at once.

Except for Sasuke, who remained staring blankly at the memory, almost unseeingly, Mikoto and others couldn't help but wonder why the blond child had taken center stage in Sasuke's memories.

 

This memory was not Sasuke's, it was Naruto's, and the Uzumaki family absorbed the scene like fish in a drying puddle. Their son had just sat down on the swing, swaying the swing side to side, a look of confusion on his face. While the two families watched, Naruto remembered something he had long since thought he had forgotten.

********  
Naruto had spent the day at the playground hoping to find someone to play with.  
He approached many kids, unfortunately, they all would just back away frightened and run to their mother or father.

It seemed that every kid other than Naruto had a parent to run away to. Naruto alone had no one to accompany him.

He decided to disregard the idea of approaching anyone else, opting to instead, sit aside on the swing that stood across from the academy. The swing itself found a home on the outskirts of the village's only playground, right next to the hidden leaf's one and only ninja school.  
He would observe the kids, not directly of course. If they caught him staring, they would alert their parents and one of the parents would complain to the park manager. Some big bulky adult would come around and shoo him from the premises. But there was no time for that now.

Naruto sat on the swing, sideways, so both feet planted firmly on the ground on both sides of the wooden swing. He evaded eye contact, simply observing the families around him.

At times like this, he wondered why he didn't have a family or anyone to take care of him. That depressing thought quickly subsided when Naruto simply decided that he could make someone care about him, just like the rest of the kids on the playground. Because Naruto was a scientist now, and he once heard one of the Anbu guarding his house say that scientists' observed things in order to do an 'experiment'.  
After scratching his head for a good couple of minutes, he decided to ask the guard what he meant by "egg-sper-ah-mint".  
After a brief explanation and a rudely whispered comment that they thought he would not hear, he decided to pull off an experiment of his own.

You see, he had observed a "phi-nom-ih-na" that occurred at the park a couple of times. It seemed to Naruto that, when a child would fall, a parent would magically appear and come to help them, even if they were not their parents.

Once a kid would fall, dozens of mothers and fathers would flock to the kid who fell and gives him bandaids and kisses to calm his tears.

So Naruto decided one day that he would do an experiment.  
He wanted to see who would come to his aid if he fell.

By midday, he walked straight out into the playground, knees bare of clothing, elbows proudly showing out of his shirt, chin tiled up and ready to be scrapped.

It was just a matter of time until he got some sort of bruises somehow. However, the kids avoided the swings when he would swing there and would run from the slide when he climbed the rungs.

there was no way he would get injured if no one wanted to play?  
Then what would his eggs-pear-a-mint be good for?

He thought " I might just still be able to pull this off".

Despite being left alone, every eye was on him, watching like a hawk.

Not a single parent could stray too far from his presence.

Naruto decided that he didn't need to play with some kid in order to get a scratch, he could just trip and fall right here, and every parent would see him.

They would be surrounding him in no time. Score!

For a moment he daydreamed, practically drooling at the thought of some positive attention. It had been so long since someone had held him.... in fact, maybe no one had ever held him. He just could not wait to have some kind eyes face him, finally!

Maybe then he would finally be a normal kid like everyone else.  
Maybe then, all the kids on the playground would see that he's not scary: he's just like everyone else. When he falls, he gets hurt too. nothing to be scared of at all, BELIEVE IT.

So with quick breath and a fake stumble, Naruto crumbled to the ground.

The weight of his body was much more than Naruto had anticipated. He fell and the playground fell silent alongside him.

Naruto, laid on the ground waiting, his heart beating quicker every second in his tiny chest. He was too scared to look up, he could feel every eye on him at that moment.  
Surely the parents would come running soon.

Then he thought, time must be moving slower.  
that must be why no one is moving yet.  
They just.... haven't caught up to him just yet.

 

That's why, dispte this thumping in his heart and the seconds passing, no one was moving.

the tension in the air became too thick for Naruto to ignore, so his small head just slightly looked up.

He deduced that everyone had seen him fall, every head in the area was turned towards him.  
Naruto has succeeded in falling in a way painful enough to cause a long scrape to travel across his knee.

A surprising amount of blood was pooling beneath him, however, he could not feel it.  
Suddeny , his vision began to blur.

There were tears in his eyes. They were not from the cut, Naruto still could not even feel the injury itself.  
The only thing he could feel was an uncomfortable burning hole of red hot shame spreading through his chest.

His tears poured over his cheeks and he whimpered slightly.  
The whole spread to his stomach and out on to shaking limbs and a blood red face.

He knew his data was correct.  
At the sign of injury, parents should flock to injured children, this was fact.  
No, the flaw in his experiment was his logic, not his observations.  
How foolish of him.

He was only now starting to realize-  
to put things together.

To assume that anyone would come for him, was absolutely foolish.

In their eyes, he was not a child, he was nothing but a monster.

He had heard that word thrown at him more than once already. Even at his current age of five, he was well aware of what that word meant.

However, so/so/ foolishly, it was not until this exact moment that he had realized one important truth.

He was an outlier.  
Up until this point, Naruto had _assumed_ that all kids were treated the way he was. He though being a monster was normal.

He is only now realizing that is was wrong.

Children were cherished and children were protected, Children got kisses and bandaids and they had parents to run home too.

He did not have anything, and there was no one who would give it to him.

'OH', he thought,  
'now I know for sure, there must be something wrong with me.'

And he cried. Everyone watched, oblivious to the real cause of his tears.

On the faces around him, not that Naruto even dared to look at them, a worried look quickly flashed on, almost like a sudden light switch.

For many of the parents at the park, this was the first instance they had ever witnessed that proved that the small boy in front of them was not some fiery raging demon of destruction, buy a grieving child.

' oh no'  
some thought, 'Naruto.... is just a child'.

However, this realization did not spark any movement.

The crying boy was left alone in the bloody spot he crumbled down in.

slowly, Naruto, with tears still bubbling up and snot spilling from his nose, pushed Himself up from his spot with shaky limbs.

Slowly, the small child walked back to the swing that moved in the evening breeze. Sitting, facing away from the crowd watching behind him, his pathetic profile faced the academy.

While looking at the school naruto remembered something. He remembered that some children get hugged by parents _and_ teachers at the dismissal of each school day.

Here he realized that parents are not the only people who could care for his bleeding knee. '/teachers.....they look after you too/'

With this thought, Naruto decided that he wanted to go there. He wanted to be a ninja. He didn't understand why.

The sight in front of him was beautiful in a way he could not yet comprehend.  
To him, it was a new untainted dream. The burden of sadness he had felt at moment could now be pushed off and ignored, instead, he could focus on something new.

Naruto needed a new fixation, a new study. otherwise, how would he ever continue to go on?

******  
Unblinking eyes stare straight at the past, Naruto is not even registering his painful memory. Kushina however, has a much more expressive reaction. Tears build in her eyes and her face scrunches in a familiar way, she and her son's likeness is remarkably more noticeable at that moment.  
Both have tears that well up vividly-both grow crows feet at end of their eyes, and tears spill in arcs over the same plump cheeks.  
She could not believe what she saw.  
The bleakness of Naruto's first memory was devastating.  
Minato pulled her in close.

The Uchiha family was aghast, except for Sasuke, who was still stuck in his trance.

The knew exactly who this boy was now.

Mikoto quickly thought of her old friend and was suddenly struck with a deep sense of guilt. Was this Karma? Would she pay for abandoning her dearest friends son now, in the afterlife? She had so many questions but there was no time for any answers.

The bright screen moved swiftly now, carrying the next memory in smoothly.

******  
Perched up high-a young Sasuke, at age of five, sat on Itachi's shoulders.

Surrounding them was the vastness Uchiha estate. The two had just passed police headquarters. With a voice much lighter than anyone could remember, Sasuke Uchiha asks with a bright obnoxious smile,  
" That's where daddy works right?! Itachi! LOOK I CAN SEE HIM".

He couldn't of course , But ItachI indulged him anyways.

Chubby child arms reached out towards the building. When Itachi looked up to his brother, it looked as if the sun itself was shining down on him: bright beams filtering through his hands that reached to the sky.

Sasuke 's mouth had one front tooth missing, so the words were spoken with a slight lisp.

The older brother could not remember a time when Sasuke had been more adorable. Eyes wide and sparkling, the younger Uchiha quickly grabbed on to Itachi's hair and tried to steer him towards the police station , like one would with the reins of a horse. However,  Itachi was determined to stay on path.

Despite Sasuke's wondering thoughts, Itachi remembered that they were on their way to the Uchiha's secret training grounds.  
He was supposed to help Sasuke with his Shuriken practice, and he knew that if he allowed Sasuke to derail their mission, his little brother would do nothing but pout later about it.

so onward they went on a steady course. Deep into the forest together.

Despite the promise of help training, Sasuke spent most of the time on the sidelines, simply observing his cooler older brother.  
He pretended to pout, even crossed his  
arms and turned to the side, blowing his cheeks like a bullfrog and making a disappointed grumble.

Though, when Sasuke dared to peek out of the glare he put on , he dropped the act, and let his amazement show through.  
 '  
'Wow, I really got the coolest brother ever in the history of the entire world.'

He truly believed this.  
To him ,at this moment , Itachi was everything.

 

'Wow! look at that cool ninja star trick! He didn't even need to open his eye!'

Sasuke's amazement melted into a warm smile which was full of content.

Just being here with Itachi was what mattered.

'Training be darned, I just want to be with Itachi every day!'

Being with his brother made Sasuke happy. It seemed as if just his presence was calming.  
It was not as if he didn't love the rest of his family, Because he did. But they all were too overbearing. His mother smothered him, and his father was cold. Sasuke always felt like he needed to change when he was with his family. He felt that if he wasn't smart enough his father would never love him, and if he wasn't kind enough, his mother would hate him.

To Sasuke, his brother was all he needed. Everyone else could disappear, and as long as his brother was with him, he would be fine.

Before They both knew it, the day was nearly over and Sasuke was fast asleep under the shade of the Japanese maple tree above him. Itachi, who had just finished perfecting his hidden rock target technique, walked slowly to his brother. With hands as gentle as he could, he slowly woke Sasuke and told him to climb into his back.  
Once safely on, Itachi began the treck home.

As Sasuke snoozed, Itachi moved forward, slowly and steadily, careful not to wake his brother.

Once almost to the end of the forest, Sasuke started to shake. There was a sudden furrow in his tiny brow and his arms wrapped tighter into his brother. Suddenly, his childlike grasp became steel, and his small arms clutched Itachi in a vice grip.  Sasuke's arms traveled north and he began to clutch desperately at his brother's neck, unaware of his deadly grip.

Startled, Itachi grabbed onto his brother's hands and tried to remove them, but for some reason, Sasuke's grip would not falter. Sasuke demonstrated strength much beyond his years, no child could hold with such ferocity. Tears surfaced quickly to Sasuke's eyes, he was still not awake and in his sleep, he started to scream. His shouts bounced off of the trees surrounding them, his anguish was amplified.  
The only witness to his cries was held captive, Sasuke refused to let go.  
With more tears and pained shouts, Sasuke's cries became obnoxiously loud and they rang throughout the forest.

 Suddenly, Itachi fell forward, out of breath and gasping, bumping into the tree closest. The light filtered through the tree above them, falling onto Sasuke's face.

The force of Itachi's stumble made an apple fall from above, and when it clunked onto the ground, the sound finally awoke Sasuke from his nightmare.

His arms were no longer cutting off the air flow and Itachi sucked in deep breaths, immensely relieved.  
He had no clue why Sasuke reacted in such a strange way. 

With tears now flowing freely, Sasuke sobbed openly to brother, confiding in him.  
" Itachi! I had the worst dream ever!'

Itachi, who was still slowly catching his breath, couldn't believe that this was Sasuke's reaction to a simple nightmare. Briefly, he wondered what would happen to Sasuke if he had experienced something truly scary. After shuddering  and shaking his head at the horrendous thought, he responded," is that so'

 

" I dreamt I was stuck in a big wave, like down in The ocean,and it just kept coming and coming, and I couldn't breathe!" Sasuke talked without breathing, so by the end of his tiny rant, he really couldn't catch his breath.

Itachi reassured his younger brother, promising that they were on dry land and there wasn't a drop of water in sight besides his own tears.  
He wouldn't be dying anytime soon.

When the younger finally calmed down, he snuggled into Itachi's back, pretending the dream didn't exist.

Slowly, the brothers set out again.  
It was almost night time and There mom was making their favorite meal for dinner. However, they would need to race home if they wanted to make it there before it got cold. they were far from being out of the woods yet.


	2. Its our world as we know it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is quickly realizing the world around him is not as simple as he once thought it was. Naruto is realizing that maybe the world is as simple as you make it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up super late to finish this. let's hope it makes sense.
> 
>  
> 
> The chapters from here on out will be told exclusively through memories. ( or not, who knows where this will go)
> 
>  
> 
> **lololol editing this shit again

A Small blond head could just barely be seen walking down the street. Each street was crowded, it was the peak of the village's yearly festival. Flashing light floated across the street, streamers flew, and banners were hung. Everyone was celebrating their survival after the attack of the demon fox, the Nine-tails. It also just so happened to be Naruto's birthday.

People dressed in yukatas and civilian clothes alike, everyone seemed to be connected on today. This sense of unity gave Naruto the courage he needed to venture out into the busy streets. He had seen the villagers setting up orange and blue streamers for days in preparation for the annual event. Everyone will be busy celebrating with loved ones and family, surely he could sneak out for a bit to watch the events and fireworks, no one would notice him.

 The festivities had started early this year, heavy ran was supposed to come through the village and prevent any late night fireworks. The Hokage announced that the time of the show would be moved up, much to the pleasure of Konoha's younger population, who could now see the firework display before their bedtimes.

Now more villagers than ever could come together and celebrate the village's strength and versatility. Parents help hands and children swung between them with bright smiles on their faces. Even those not alive to witness the death of the Fourth Hokage shared a strong connection to this day and the causes behind the event.

This was good for the community but horrible for Naruto. As of yet, he still hadn't found a single friend.

'Maybe I can meet someone at the festival' he thought.

Every one was kinder on this day. He saw it on People's faces every year. Kind eyes and weary smiles, patient hands, and hopeful steps, everyone was working together to take care of one another. Naruto decided he wanted to experience it too this year. Let's call This experiment number two.

No one has yelled or screamed at him yet and he's been out all day today! He was right to assume that people's spirits would be high today. It seemed as if not a single person took the time to notice him today. Normally this would make him sad, but he couldn't find it in himself to care right now. All that mattered was that he got to experience the celebration just like everyone else. This test was going extremely well.

Perhaps he could even go into one of the vendors' stalls, buy some food or maybe a souvenir. Naruto wanted to remember today. Being outside with everyone like a normal kid made him so happy. He wanted it to be like this every day.

He walked towards a store selling fake Anbu masks, along with other real ninja tools. They were an extremely popular gift this year; the Hokage just appointed a whole new special group of young ninja into the Anbu program. Every kid dreamed of following in the footsteps of the few children who were appointed early to the Hokage guard.

This small group consisted of the famous Itachi Uchiha and many other lesser known child prodigies. Even Naruto wished to one day be one of those kids, he too could not resist the allure of such an important position. Maybe if he became a ninja like that, people would notice him too.

The Uchiha family found themselves wondering the village grounds today. Sasuke Uchiha was dragging his older brother along by the arm, making stops at every stall they passed.

The family was celebrating their eldest son's promotion.

Sasuke really didn't understand what his big brother would be doing now, but his Papa had talked about how proud he was of his son, and Sasuke decided then that he would be just as proud.

And what better way to celebrate than to get his brother something to commemorate his new job. Sasuke scouted crowded shops full of ninja toys and cheap treats looking for the perfect gift.

The family decided to let the youngest lead, none would stand to ruin the good mood he had wandered into.

Sasuke missed going out like this, it has been a while since all of them could come together like this. Ever since Itachi graduated from school a couple of months ago, he and dad have been so busy. Mom would ask him to come to help her with things like dinner, so he wouldn't notice their absence, but it didn't work.

'Maybe' he thought,' if I tell Itachi how much we miss him, he'll come home more'.

Perhaps he should mention it when finds his gift. Or, he could wait until they return home.

Yes, he decided he wouldn't ruin the good mood.Sasuke decided to make the most out of today, that way, when night came, Itachi could think about how much fun they had together, and he'll want to do it more.

He guided them until they come upon a small gift shop. Inside he saw kids yelling and fighting, all fighting over the best ninja stars. Sasuke was quickly absorbed into the hype. He too needed those cool Ninja tools: then, his collection would be even bigger than his brothers.

"Let's go inside, " he looked back at his brother "help me pick some out". With a small laugh, Itachi agreed to help, telling Sasuke to lead the way.

Before Sasuke could head further, an old man quickly rushed out of the shop, Holding tightly to the arm of a small boy. Sasuke noted that the blond kid trailing him was his age. With a violent shove, the old man, who must have been the shop keeper, practically threw the boy out of the store. With a thump , the boy fell to the ground.

' I PROMISE I WAS GONNA BUY THAT', it came out of the boys mouth , loud and obnoxious.

 The old man didn't even bother listening. He simply threw what seemed to be an old Anbu mask at the blond child, and in a stone cold voice, demanded that the kid never came back.

Mikoto who had suddenly appeared at her son's side clutched Sasuke's arm and pulled him behind her. She was staring at the child, much like everyone else.

The young boy laid on the ground silent for a moment. He looked red and embarrassed. He thought he saw some tears in his eyes , but then  he picking up the mask, stood  up, and threw the mask at the man. With a dramatic 'clunk' The mask hit the shop keepers head and comically fell onto the ground.

The crow was silent.

' WHO SAID I WANTED YOUR STUPID FUCKING MASK ANYWAYS',

the kid was contradicting himself, he had just said he was planning on paying for it.

The man turned around, hands clutched and fists shaking looking ready to yell.

However, the boy was quickly ducking out, running between the crowd that surrounded Him.

 "who was that boy," He wondered aloud.

Fugaku, who was observing the incident closely, like others, crouched down to look Sasuke in the face and tell him "You must not ever speak to that boy, alright Sasuke."

It was more than a request. Sasuke could see in his father's eyes, a sense of urgency. Sasuke could not understand why his father felt the need to mention this, that kid seemed like nothing but a trouble maker, totally not his type of crowd.

Despite this, he nodded slowly, To reassure him.

Mikoto shook her head. Both parents shared an intense look, speaking to each other without words, as his parents often did, then his mother slowly let her head down and shook it again. She looked incredibly upset.

What the heck was that all about? Honestly , adults really confused Sasuke.

He wondered what just happened. Both with his parents and with that strange boy.

But he did not voice this question. No one else seemed to be wondering.

Perhaps it was obvious, and Sasuke was the only one who didn't know.

That was something Sasuke hated- Being the only one left out.

He hated looking like a childish fool, so he pretended to understand.

He pretended that he understood a lot of the things he saw in the village.

These incidents would just be more things to add to the list of things he still didnt understand.  But Boy, that list sure was getting pretty big.

***

Naruto could not believe the turn his day had taken. After the shop keeper kicked him out,  everyone seemed to be following his example, not a single person would let him into their stores.

He though hard, but he couldn't remember what it was that he did wrong.

The only thing he remembered was looking at the masks he saw on display. They were Fake Anbu masks, all piled up on a shelf. There were many different animals on the masks.

He first noticed a white and red mask that seemed to be of a toad. Each eye whole had bright red circles around them and on the cheek was a red dot, he supposed it was a fake wart. There was no mouth.

It was actually quite creepy: the more he looked at it, the more it wigged him out.

He found another, the accents were purple this time. On this mask, each eye had long triangles that extended downward, almost reaching towards the tip of where a nose would be. There was a thin line at the mouth. The mask was of a snake, it smiled at him.

The next couple of masks were unremarkable, he briefly remembered there being a monkey and maybe a dog. The only mask that really began to stick out was a mask he found hidden away in the very back.

It looked like it had been shoved back there a long time ago. The white had started to turn a greasy yellow and the orange details where wearing away.

The animal was unmistakable.

For some reason, Naruto was compelled to put it on. So he did. It was then that the shop keeper found him, his face flushed with intense fear for a second.

Naruto could not understand why. His head turned to face the shop keeper, They made eye contact through the eye holes of the fox mask he had on.

He tried to explain himself, say that he would buy it if he needed to, but as soon as that mask was off his face, the man woke from his frightened trance, and he angrily shoved him out of the shop.

By the time he recovered from this humiliation, the sun had begun to set.

The festival would be ending soon.

The weather looked like it could turn at any point, so the fireworks began early.

When they deemed the sun low enough, people surrounded the Hokage Tower. 

Each firework was set off, and they exploded in tandem. The whole village was celebrating another proud year. However, Naruto was having a hard time figuring out what exactly they were supposed to be proud of.

Naruto ended up finding a deserted ally way to observe the show in, this way he could observe the colors in peace.

 As the fireworks shot up, Sasuke clutched his mother's hand in his left and his brothers in his right. This was the first time he was awake for the celebration.

Very soon afterward, the night's rain started.

It was a heavy downpour.

**

Naruto was still out, he was very hungry.

He had  tried to stop and buy food many times, but he had not gotten the chance to catch a snack at all today. Now that the rain had come, there was no way any shops were still open.  And even if they were some open, he wasn't sure anyone would serve him.

 If he tried(and he did try)  to enter, he would just be chased away by a broom. At one point, some lady even used her mean dog to chase Him out.

This wasn't fair, he thought today he was going to be able to celebrate: Everyone was so nice to each other on the festival day.

'For some reason',  he thought with a pout, 'it seemed like everyone was even meaner than normal today'.

He didn't understand the villagers at all.

As the rain continued to fall down steadily, Naruto huddled further into the alley.

He decided to wait there until everyone was inside. Then he could go home without being yelled at. However, The rain had started suddenly and he was stuck there.

Surely the rain would freeze him to death if he tried to walk home now. He crossed his arms and sat next to the wall where the roof extended out. This would keep the rain from falling directly on him, he could stay warm enough to wait would the storm. But the roof could not cover him all the way, his shoulder got drenched and as the steady rain fell, rainwater started pooling in the alley.

This and the chilly wind that had blown ferociously caused a chill to run through him. The longer he sat out there, the colder he became.

'Maybe if I hug my knees, I'll stay warm. That's what penguins do right?'

He soon got lost in his thoughts. He kept thinking of different animals.

He wondered which ones lived alone, and which lived together. Do frogs live with their mom and dad? He knew snakes didn't.

He suddenly imagined that he was a stray cat. He pictured a drenched yellow tabby licking its wet fur, then coughing up a big old fur ball.

In a spur of the moment, with a feline on the brain, Naruto tried to see if he could lick his own elbow.

He had once heard that it was impossible.

Soon after a thorough investigation, He concluded that it was in fact impossible.

Though, with each new raindrop,and every passing second,  he just might be bored enough to reinvestigate.

 

The sound of a rusty metal door interupted Naruto's Internal debate on whether the Hokage would supply grant money to explore this invigorating study.

He saw an older man, not quite as old as the shop keeper, but much older than Naruto himself. He was throwing away a heavy looking bag of trash on the opposite side of the alley.

With a whistle, the man turned to walk back inside, however, he paused when he saw Naruto crouched in the alley.  His face looked surprised, as if it wasn't normal to see a pre-pubescent boy hiding out in the freezing rain. He took in Naruto's small shaking form and began to walk over to him.

Not in the mood to be yelled at, Naruto scrambled up and backed away. He gave the man an hard look, practically daring him to yell at him for sneaking around, he was ready this time.

But no yell came.

The man just put his arms up, in a way that meant ' I come in peace."

Naruto, still suspicious as ever, stopped backing away. He stood his ground and the two held eyes.

"You must be freezing out here, why don't you come inside and warm up",

The man asked with such a polite voice, Naruto truly wanted to do it. However, the nice voice was not enough. Anyone can pretend to be nice.

He was not going to be deceived again today, no sir.

It was What he saw next that made him seriously reconsider. His voice sounded kind, sure, but his eyes, the way he looked at Naruto, were more than kind. He had seen those eyes before.  He had seen them on the playground, he had seen them on the faces of parents. Those eyes looked like they cared.

How could he say no to that?

He allowed the man to guide him into the building he just came out of.

When he entered, Naruto immediately knew it was some sort of restaurant.

It smelled amaaaaaaazzing in here.

By the time he reached the front counter, he completely forgot why has was being so hostile.

Naruto rubbed his stomach when it released a loud grumble. He saw all the food in the kitchen. There was water boiling and bubbling on the stove. The man gave a small smile and looked down at him.

"Are you hungry son?"

'He just called me son' Naruto thought and smiled brightly, 'I think I'll stay here forever.'

Naruto nodded quickly. Then remembered that he didn't have nearly enough money to buy something from here.

When the man walked behind the counter to placed a bowl in front of Naruto, Naruto grabbed his shirt sleeves and grumbled out somberly " I'm sorry sir. I don't have the money for this,"

But the man just smiled and told him that Ramen was free on your birthday.

"How did you know it was my birthday? Huh, are you some kind of psychic?" Naruto asked obnoxiously. But His mood much brighter now that he was getting free food.

The man's kind eyes were back.   " Just a lucky guess". 

Before Naruto knew it, the hot bowl of Miso Ramen in front of him became two , then three . After A quick " itadakimasu" before hand , of course. Naruto wasn't a heathen .

The man stood patiently behind the counter. Content with his good deed, he turned his back to the young boy and started to finish the dishes. Naruto, who had successfully inhaled half of whatever number bowl already, lifted his head to stare at the man. Another bite full on Noodles was on its way to his mouth when he suddenly paused.

He couldn't help but think of how yummy this bowl of ramen was. He had had Ramen many times before, but never fresh. It has always been too expensive for him.

He Had never realized how thick and flavorful the broth was, or how comforting the heated bowl would be in his hands.

Suddenly, Naruto realized that this must be what love felt like. Love was.... warm and filling, Just like a bowl of ramen!

Not that he thought this stranger loved him. This man was just being kind.

But maybe that's all it took to love something?

Maybe, like Ramen, love could be given freely? Maybe love was something that you gave away to a stranger? Maybe love was about being kind? It didn't have to be confusing.

**

Late That night, Sasuke woke when he heard a shout from downstairs.

His parents must be fighting again. A weekly occurrence at this point.

When he got to the first floor, he snuck around the corner and peeked through the kitchen door.

His mother, Father, and brother were having a quiet yet heated discussion. He couldn't hear what they were saying, But his mother seemed to be mad, her face red, and his brother was sitting with his head down.

His parents were the ones arguing. Their voices were steadily rising. In between their mumbling, Sasuke could pick up a few words

"- you _know_ we can not do that'Fugaku was stressing the _know_ part as if it would somehow change her mind.

His wife just shook her head, she looked as if she was having difficulty making up her mind.

Fugaku continued," we already have enough eyes looking our way in the council" he gestured towards Itachi, " Shisui told me he heard people talking, They're suspicious in light of the promotion, we cant _afford_ to attract any more attention "

His mother spoke much more softly, she seems conscious of her losing battle.

"I'm sure there's something we can do.."

" we can't bring him here, the council already suspects that we were involved in the attack. If we bring the Nine-tails anywhere near the compound-"

"Sasuke? " suddenly Itachi was addressing him. Sasuke tried to hide behind the door, but he had already been spotted

"I'm impressed, I didn't even sense your Chakra" Itachi wore a warm smile.

" Sasuke honey, what are you doing up?" Mikoto quickly walked over to him,

"Did you have a nightmare again?" she bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Why don't we go back upstairs huh? I 'll stay with you till you fall asleep." She held his hand and turned around, looking at the boys in the kitchen.

" I think its time we all go to bed, don't you think sweety?"By the look in her eyes, she was no longer asking questions.

Both boys stood and together they all went upstairs.

With a quick sign, Sasuke noted #3075 on his mental list of adult things he didn't understand.

Yes, he was really counting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> editing on my phone soooooo i probably missed lots of stuff.
> 
> Nothing really changed , just reviewed and changed the wording at some points.
> 
> Like and comment if your interested in more :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small feet run fast, and an insidious plan starts to unfold.

Small feet are running fast. Uchiha crest are blurring past sasuke as he runs back to his home.

‘ I can’t believe this! I’m going to be late for dinner!’ His thoughts flooding him like adrenaline.  
‘ no more late night training! Mother will get mad at me’

Suddenly the world stops, mid step , sasuke is frozen in a dream.   
But just as fast as it came, he is free to keep running.  
And he does.  
~~~~~  
A gentle breeze blows and the long locks of black hair frame a delicate face.   
In the blink of an eye, the figure is gone from atop a post.The moon is big and shines bright, lighting up the uchiha compound. It’s reflection can be seen in deep crimson pools of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College is putting me through the ringer, hopefully I’ll be able to get my inspiration back for this story.


End file.
